In a nutshell, what is Streetbrand?
STREETBRAND is a Christian youth culture magazine packed with lots of entertaining, educative and informative pieces for the UK youth market. Written for both girls and guys, the magazine is just like any magazine you can find on the shelves but informed by Christian principles. So we have lots of music, films and book reviews, celebrity interviews, fashion and style, in-your-face columns, relationships, health and fitness, career, money, positive living, and thought provoking pieces on current issues.
Tell us about Streetbrand’s journey from inception to life
About five years ago, God gave me the idea to produce a Christian youth culture magazine; a publication that would be more than just a good read. I was tired of seeing boy-girl crazed, sex-oriented magazines with little to say to young people about achievement, purpose, spirituality or the importance of having a voice on critical issues of concern. I wanted a magazine that could balance out the negativity of today’s society; a magazine that would meet them where they are with a clean message, cater for the interests of our readers and also sit comfortably on the shelves of high street stores, beside big glossies published by household names.
STREETBRAND first made an appearance in 2004 as a printed magazine. I paid for it. As you can imagine, it burned a hole in my finances. The magazine generated a lot of buzz but the pressure to keep it going meant an early demise. Now years later, I believe there’s still a need for STREETBRAND in the marketplace and that’s why it’s back. We’re not backed by some big hotshot mogul yet but everyone involved in the magazine believes in what it can be, and the plan is to publish it as a digital magazine until we’re in a better position to start printing again.
Streetbrand is not your usual print magazine, is it? Why did you decide to go for an online publication after just one print issue?
Well, I find that publishing costs are very high and it is very easy for new publications to get strangled at birth. Many publications have come and gone since STREETBRAND first launched and coming back, we didn’t want to be another statistic. It was better to have STREETBRAND as an online magazine. That way, it could reach the people that needed to hear about it without the printing overheads.
Looking at the magazine, I can see that a lot of work has gone into it. It’s hip, exciting and certainly has all the big Christian celebrity interviews. What’s that been like?
Hard work. But it’s something we thoroughly enjoy doing so I suppose it all balances out. Plus I have an eager team of writers, photographers and designers who all believe in the vision and want to make this happen.
What have you learnt about following your dream, disappointments, successes and the faith journey?
I have learnt a lot of things and I am still learning everyday. One of the poignant messages for me is that God’s time is the best and that is why I want to follow His leading on this magazine. I think that it’s good to dream and we should all have hopes and aspirations but we should always commit them to God. I also think that faith is key because without faith it is impossible to please God so when we do dream, we should have the faith that one day, this too will become a reality. And we should always remember to get up when we fall, storms and setbacks will come, but we need to rise up again and again and, keep trying and keep persevering until our own story becomes a success story. People who have made it in life are those who have refused to be defined by their situation and haven’t given up even when common sense dictates otherwise.
Which is easier; print or online?
Do you know what? Because we have put extra effort into the digital issue of STREETBRAND and have paid attention to every single page as if it’s a printed magazine, I’d say I find both equally hard work. The only difference is that being online as a digital magazine does not command the big budget that traditional printing attracts.
Tell us a bit more about Team Streetbrand
STREETBRAND is a bunch of young people who believe in making a difference and want to see young people transform their world. We think one of the best ways to reach generation X is through a magazine that will speak to them in their own language, packed with things they enjoy doing and read backed up by the gospel message.
I’m a writer and I would like to write for Streetbrand, how can I go about this?
Contact the editor at editor@streetbrand.com with your story ideas/outlines.
Talk us through Streetbrand’s features
What has the response been like for Streetbrand?
The response has been great. We’ve had reader interest, feedback and media coverage and I believe that all this has been because of God. We’re also getting together a team to help us to continue to spread the word as we need to get the word out there to the people that we’re trying to reach.
Did you have any experience of writing or the publishing industry before Streetbrand?
Yes, a fair bit. Both my parents are journalists so that helped me develop a passion for writing. I started writing at a young age and by the time I was a teenager, I was writing for my local paper as well as editing my school magazine. A university degree in Media Studies didn’t hurt either and after university, I had a work experience gig at Untold magazine and went on to be the religious editor of the Gospel Corner page in African Times for a while. In addition, I have been freelancing for a few years now and that has helped with making contacts and fine-tuning my writing.
What’s next for Streetbrand?
Big things I hope. I have big hopes for STREETBRAND but don’t want to run ahead of God. I want to follow where He leads. A key priority for us would be to start printing the magazine again, but this will come only at His appointed time.
Check out STREETBRAND magazine at www.streetbrand.com
